[Nancy C]

In reply to Kristin… After my experiences w kibble I too changed to raw with the help of several wonderful people here and I can’t imagine going back. For me it’s a bit of a job to find resources other than whole foods ( un medicated /chemicalized chicken) and the Butcher shop. I have been to a slaugther house, called local grass feeding farmers (who never return calls) and am networking to find a more cost effective source for the variety of raw food. Nonetheless I will continue the raw because I can SEE a difference in my dogs. My GSD’s teeth are so much cleaner from HARE TODAY’s great Turkey Necks. I am still anxious about feeding the BEEF RIB BONES (any suggestions?) In my head I know his molars can chew them but I keep being afraid he’ll swallow a sharp piece which could cause trouble on it’s journey through and out the other end. Anyone else’s dogs doing fine on chewing Beef Rib Bones? I am asking around and it appears they are not a problem, and are very healthy. Tom Lonsdale DVM writes a worthwhile book RAW MEATY BONES and has a website with that title. I know I need to overcome this concern. Best of Luck, Kristin!

[Akari_32]

Ha! And here I was wondering where my 64 degrees went from last week! I’m the exact opposite. I hate being outside during the summer, but come late fall to early spring, I love the cool weather. Really, I just have a hoodie problem and need an excuse to wear them, and I have a strict rule of no long sleeves of any kind until its gets into the low 60s and theres a wind chill LOL

It’s funny that Jack Russell’s are such princesses when they are bred as hunting dogs. Bentley won’t go out when the grass is even so much as slightly damp from dew, won’t go out in the cold with out his jacket, won’t stay outside too long if its too hot, and god forbid it be raining and he have to pee. My friends Jack Russell loves to be dressed in pretty cloths (she knows when she’s wearing a dress, and will prance around like she’s hot stuff), and knows all the sad and pathetic things to do in order to get attention, like fake shiver so her mommy will give her cuddles XD

[Julie S]

I have a 4yr old 14# Chihuahua mix male dog. Since late summer when he had a parasite infection he has had off and on issues with his appetite and very loose, gel-like foul smelling stools. His tummy will make the most horrible rumbling, swishing, swashing, gurgling rolling sounds prior too and after having a loose stool. His feces was just checked again under 2 weeks ago, again, and came up negative for reinfestation. He’s been on Science Diet Sensitive Tummy food that he will no longer touch. He’s been on Science Diet Small Breed Kibbles that he will no longer eat. After his last stool test he was put on 48hr fast, water only and then given Science Diet RX Canned Intestinal Support, 1-2 Tbs every couple hrs. He was also given for me to take home and administer Proviable 2ml every 8hrs, Proviable Capsules 1x daily until gone, and then Flagyl 250mg 1/2 tablet every 12hrs until gone. After he was done with the intestinal support canned dod food I made boiled skinless boneless chicken breast with boiled white rice, shredded up the chichen breast finely and added chemical free all natural chicken broth and fed to him in small amounts. His poop was firming up but he stopped eating the chicken and rice also. This whole time his poop never lost its horrid foul knock you out smell. His belly is back to making those horrid sounds and he’s done with all meds but has 2 doses of Proviable capsules left. His blood work was normal and I’ve seen 2 vets over this, both shared his records. I’m so frustrated I can’t get through to these vets that something is wrong with my baby and they don’t seem to care too much to get to the bottom of it. But the sure charge a fortune. We live in a very rural place and don’t have a large selection of vets to choose from to begin with. Now my little baby is back to rushing outside for frequent runny poos and eating grass for his tummy. He passes some really foul gas for such a sweet little guy. Poor guy.

Can anyone offer suggestions as to what’s going on?? What more can I do for my little fella at home?

[Akari_32]

Chickens are easy! Chicks are a bit hard, in my experience, but we could have had bad stock for all i know. We kept our chickens in a 10×20 run we originally built for the dogs, but they learned how to open the gate and get out (darn labs!). Had a bowl full of feed and two bowls of water, both replaced daily. Also gave them stake crackers and non-sugary stale cereals. They loved Cheerios! They would hunt moths in the grass for whatever protein they needed on top of their feed, as well. A chicken stalking a bug has got to be the greatest thing anyone can ever see LOL basically, once adults, chickens are pretty low maintanence, and make really interesting pets. Plus you gets eggs, and who can’t use eggs??

[Linda b]

I was looking into Dinivite for my 4 year old hound dog who is currently eating Pioneer Naturals Grain and Potato Free whitefish. The scratching and red underside are disheartening but it all seems to be subsiding slightly with the humidity (we live in FL) and grass allergies. After reading some comments , I am on the fence but did see something called Healthy GOO which is peanut butter, probiotics, prebiotics and the trace allergens. Anyone ever hear of Healthy Goo?

[Susan]

Hi Charli, you did a wonderful thing buying the pup, I think I would of done the same thing, she’s probably lucky to get away, poor dog that was left behind, it probably was her mum, thats not true that Pittys don’t do well on chicken, it can be any protein a dog can have food sensitivities too, but its rare…. if that were the case, then how come most dog foods will have chicken in them, normally it will be grains a dog cant tolarate… My staffy cant eat potaotes, sweet potatoes & wheat, he starts to scratch & gets a rash on his chest & tummy & then diarrhea from boiled potatos.. normally food intolances happen around 9 months old, not at 8 weeks old, give her a nice bath in a mild puppy shampoo & rinse her real well… also did she have any fleas?? or is she lying on the grass…..My boy lays like a frog on the grass & sometimes gets these little red spots rash on his chest & tummy area, I rub some Sudocrem on the rash & it goes away… Sudocrem is a baby nappy rash cream, I also put it on his paws, cause he gets red sore paws when we walk on wet grass or if its been raining, I put a heap of Sudoocrem on his paws so it repells the water…Good-Luck with baby…

[Karen J]

Because of the pre struvite crytals:

Freshpet Vital – Grain Free, a roll you keep in fridgy topped with BB wild cuts – she finally seems to eat that and BB Wilderness.

Last night and this morning I gave her Freshpet topped with wild cuts…but she left a puddle of pee no far from where she eats. She has a dog door and I’d let her out from where there is grass and she peed there 15 minutes early…any thoughts from this well informed group?

[Susan]

Hi Jenny, my boy goes thru stages he’ll be fine then all of a sudden starts his vomiting again & he starts eating grass as soon as he wakes up of a morning, cause he’s a rescue dog that I rescued nilly 2 years ago I’m slowley seeing a pattern, back in May I was moving but in the end I didnt move but had packed boxes & Patches routine had changed a bit after not moving I un-pack everything again Patch started his vomiting his kibble again, he had ultra scan it came back all good, so new vet thinks it was from stress, probably the moving he also said IBD like Patches old vet said but Im thinking more IBS not IBD, He was put on Zantac an ant acid but I dont give it daily no more, if I see him un-well in morning then I give him his Zantac…
I always thought IBD was diarrhea or sloppy poos but some dogs have the vomiting & no sloppy poos, vet wanted him on Prenidsone (steriod) I said NO not yet, thats when I started the elimination diet & found he can’t have Potatos they give him a red rash all on his chest & he’s real itchy then diarrhea, Sweet Potatos gives him real itchy ears & itchy skin, anything with wheat his paws would swell up & one would go real red & hot, I have to put ice pack on the red swollen paw then it goes down..
also I was told to feed smaller meals thru the day, not just the 2 large meals a day, I think this has helped..Now I try not to change his routine or stress him in anyway…
another thing Patch also has is hive like lumps all over his body, last year vet thought environment allergies from grass, pollen etc but as time has gone its was more food causing his hives & itchy skin & ears which I proved thru the elimination diet I did..
With the Cerenia, I’d just give when you think he looks sick, I know when Patch is ill, he doesnt want to play, he normally goes to his toy box & gets a ball & runs up & down the hallway or starts to pester me to play with him, when he’s un-well he just sleeps & starts doing his licking, his tonuge keeps coming out & he swollows.. I wish they could talk..

[Ry K]

Hi all,

My husky/lab has been on the raw diet for over 6 months now. I’ve verified with the raw pet food store and with a few raw diet books that he’s getting the right amount, proper bone/meat/veg balance, extras like green powders, kelp, fish oil, etc.

All of his health problems have gone away except for one – skin irritation. He’ll be good to go for a month or two, and then all of a sudden he’ll start chewing all over himself to the point of stripping the hair off and making it even worse. Then I put the cone on him for a few weeks, and he’s either fine or back at the chewing.

I exercise him every day so I don’t think it is a stress problem. I avoid fields with long grass that might bother his skin. If it’s bad enough I’ll give him a bath with oatmeal, baking soda, aloe, etc.

Does anyone have any additional thoughts on this topic? I find it especially important because I convinced a friend to switch his dog to raw recently. He did so, and it fixed some MAJOR problems the dog was having, but now 6 months later his dog is having skin irritation problems as well. It doesn’t seem to be an allergy like pollen, especially because right now there shouldn’t be any pollen issues at all where I live.

Thanks in advance for your time!
Ryan

[Dori]

C4C You get 10% off and free shipping on their introductory offer. It’s a good way to try the food and see if your dogs like it. My three dogs are not picky and as I’ve often said would it the package, bag, box the food came in so they are really not a judge as to what they will eat. They love THK as the love all things edible and not. The only food that Hannah, one of the three, has turned her nose up to was Oracle tripe. The other two loved the food. She would not. One of the differences, as I’ve posted in the past, THK has a very strong smell of grasses, herbs, etc. BDN smells of meat (looks like ground meat) that you would be preparing for a meat sauce before you add all your typical sauces and tomatoes etc. for your self and your family. It really does smell and look good. I would suggest you give it a try. Order the smallest amount and get their introductory 10% off and free shipping if you and the dogs don’t like it, it’s not that big a deal. They also have sample packages which include different proteins. I originally ordered their Package number 2 because the girls cannot eat chicken, turkey or anything fowl. So I think it was beef, tripe and maybe fish???. Anyway, though I feed raw, this was a good alternative for my husband who is too squeamish to feed raw incase I’m not home. Men…….grrrrrrrrrh!

[Edith H]

I really would like to share some experiences and get some help if possible!!!
I have an amstaffy 4 years old. He has a very sensitive tummy that was treated with diarrhea for a month after we got him ( Back in early Aug this year). Ever since, his stool had been stable with Acana Grassland. Few weeks ago, we took him for a general check up in vet and got recommended with Purina FortisFlora as well. It did made his stool seems drier and harder for the three days that I had been feeding him with Purina, but soon stopped since I was really concerned with not knowing what animal digestive is?! However, it got me all interested in adding probiotic into his diet. Then I was trying out raw goat milk from Primal. Giving little spoon to a 50 lbs dog for straight three days, he ended up with really bad diarrhea in the past two days. Therefore, adding goat milk to aid as probiotic doesn’t seem like an option to me.

Though his stool is normally fine with just Acana, I was hoping to improve his whole digestive systems overall and started research about probiotic and prebiotic…etc. I have problem getting a good result as many probiotic recommended online are sold in USA only.

Are probiotic a waste of money? is prebiotic a really better and safer option even it might feed both good and bad bacterias? any good suggestions in Canada available?

or am I just simply too greedy?! should just stay the same…leave it simple with just Acana kibbles….>,<

[Susan]

Hi Kathy, those noises are from his bowel its gases going thru the bowel, it can be painful.. When I first got Patch 23months ago, he was having the gurgling & rumbling noises every 10-15 days early hours of the morning… I took him to vet & vet said Colitis, then vet said Colitis/IBD cause if he ate something different he’d do very soft to sloppy poos, He was put on a Vet prescription diet Eukanuba Intestinal low residue 10% fat, I also feed him the Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal kibble for breakfast & lunch, but for dinner night feed I feed the Eukanuba Intestinal just incase, he’s been good this last year but a few times when I’ve feed him boiled chicken & pumkin for dinner, we were up early hours of the morning (3-4am) with his bowel gurgling & rumbling, all he wants to do is eat grass, I make him 1 piece of toast (white bread) & thinly spread salmon & lobster paste & the noises stop & we go back to bed,
Patch is on a dog probiotic has been for over 1 year since the vet said Colitis/IBD.. I dont know if the dog probiotic has helped but I ran out of his probiotic the other month for 3-4 days & his poos were softer & left a poo mark on the grass, so I went & got more of his probiotic.. I mix a level teaspoon with 15ml water in his bowl & he loves it.. I give inbetween feeds in the morning..if you do get a dog probiotic only give half the dose for the first week then increase to proper dose..
But I know feeding him his low fat Eukanuba Intestinal at night has stopped all the gurgling noises so far & he wants to eat his breakfast in the morning, where before he didnt want to eat when his bowel was pinging & gurgling that morning.. I can hear him if I’m in my room & he’s in the loungeroom, poor things..
Try a limited ingredient lower fat kibble, I don’t feed the grainfrees kibbles, most of them have potato & the kibble is harder when they have potato plus Patch can’t eat potatos he gets a itchy rash on his chest then has diarrhea.. I also soak his kibble in water for about 3 mins then drain the water & put kibble on a paper towel & pat dry then put 1/4 cup in his bowl let him eat, then I put another 1/4 of kibble in his bowl, he’s a gulper so I slow his eating down a bit & the Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal fat-12% & Simple Duck & Oatmeal fat-11% softens easy when I soak in water, so does his Eukanuna Intestinal, so if he has gulped & hasnt chewed his kibble they are softer & easier to digest…

[Chris A]

1st time poster!

We got our Brittany, Hunter, when he was only 8 weeks old and he was eating Taste of the Wild. He absolutely loved it! A few months later he started to show some signs of possible allergies which increased gradually. We then switched him to Science Diets ZD. He was still having problems so we got some testing done. The results were rather lengthy!

He’s allergic to lamb, duck, rice, soybean, oat, peas, barley and a mix of environmental allergies that include different grasses, weeds and mold.

Does Science Diet still look like our best option? We are also looking into meds to help take care of what his diet can’t fix. Price isn’t really the biggest issue and I’d really like something that is high in protein. Thanks in advance!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Susan D:
If it is a contact allergy to grass that will be tough to keep him off of it; rinsing your dog off after each time in the grass and bathing regularly might help. Here are some sites with info on rinses that help with both contact allergies or food intolerance issues:

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2009/12/16/thirty-seconds-to-relieve-your-pets-itchy-paws.aspx

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/05/03/eating-these-foods-can-make-your-dog-itch-like-crazy.aspx

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/10/25/dog-foot-bath.aspx

[Bobby dog]

Yes it would have been nice to have had her ears checked, but to me it sounds as though she was really stressed on the day she arrived. Since it was not a life threatening situation and considering her owner was going to have her euthanized, I think keeping her calm (and you volunteering to babysit) was a better approach. Now that she has had time to relax hopefully the Vet will be able to perform a physical and dental exam soon.

Sounds like her nails might be interfering with her natural stride in the grass as well. Good luck, I hope it goes well. If nothing else do a little at a time (trimming the length as well as the number of nails you trim); not my favorite way to do it, but it worked for me and my JRT.

[Bobby dog]

I understand your thought behind not trimming her nails. Ginger’s nails have been neglected for some time and who knows how she is getting them trimmed. But, you already wrote she was hobbled by the length of her nails when they got tangled; maybe at least try to trim some of the length away.

I can’t help it, one of the first things I notice about pets seem to be hooves and nails. If I had a good back I would become a farrier in a heartbeat. lol I actually trim and rasp my horses hooves myself in between professional trimmings to help keep them balanced, for comfort, and to help keep the proper angles needed for all the weight those poor hooves support. Without a healthy foot (man or beast) you are just plain uncomfortable.

Walking on the pavement might help keep nails (or hooves for that matter) worn, but Ginger’s nails are pretty long to start with. If you are not going to trim her nails at this time I would really re-think walking her on a hard surface for her comfort; try taking a grassy route.

[crazy4cats]

Oooh, I try to let my boys only roll in our own yard. Even then, I try to make sure nothing too gross is under them. It’s very fun in our front yard because there is actually grass. They have their back yard pretty ripped up! They are rolling all over our carpet this morning because it just got treated with carpet fresh and vacuumed! But my dogs have had too many issues to let them roll away in strange places! We don’t want anymore cooties! But, it’s absolutely delightful to watch other people’s dogs have at it!

[Lisa]

After about 4 months of various symptoms my 18 month old male GSD was down to 64 lbs(normal weight was 80-85 lbs) we finally got a the EPI diagnoses from our vet. He was originally on Eagle Pack, then Taste of the Wild eventually we tried to Go!Sensitive and Shine and Grandma Lucy’s Goat. With these 2 foods he improved a little and gained about 5 lbs in 2 weeks. The vet prescribed enzymes but after doing some research we decided to try raw food including raw beef pancreas. We ordered beef pancreas and green tripe from http://www.hare-today.com and from the very first feeding we saw results. Green tripe is totally gross but Reggie absolutely loves it!
It took about 3 weeks for him to completely stabilize, he went from 3 meals a day to 2, his poops are perfect and he goes about 3 times a day, no gas or stomach rumbling, he sleeps through the night again. Now he is about 100 lbs and is full of energy he probably runs/walks about 5-7 miles a day, barely sheds and his coat super soft and shining.
We are been able to reduce the amount of beef pancreas per feeding so a 16 oz tube will last a few days and his diet is probably about 70% raw he likes ground meat,organ,bone mixed with Taste of the Wild kibble or Grandma Lucy’s with a occasional egg. We switch the type of protein(fish,chicken,beef, turkey, goat, even llama) he eats every few days and their is no change in his bowel movements. He gets coconut oil as a supplement as well as 8 Gentleman Chinese herbs. We got the Chinese herb from a local holistic equine vet, we believe it was a key component in his recovery.
I love to watch him eat RMBs he throughly enjoys laying in the grass and slow tearing into the meat and savoring every bite, just like his ancestors did..this is the way canines are supposed to eat!
Raw feeding takes a little extra work but it is definitely worth it. We have a freezer in the basement and we have a small refrigerator where we keep the raw food separate from our food. I know every dog’s situation is different but this solution saved Reggie’s life.

[Bobby dog]

The proof is in the photos! He looks great. You never know, you mentioned in the past you initially thought he had allergies to grass and although it looks like allot of issues were his diet maybe a little is the outdoors too. I know from experience it is horrible to see your dog scratching and licking himself constantly; knowing they are physically uncomfortable and not feeling well is awful! Anyway, good job taking care of him!!!

[Susan]

Hi Tiffany, when I first rescue my boy he was doing sloppy poos with jelly on then & mucus, did the blood tests for parasites all blood test all came back good, vet said Colitis & he was put on Metronidzole for 2 weeks, I went back to feeding him chicken necks for breakfast & his Opitmum kibble & tin food at night again every 13 days he would be up early hours of the morning with his stomach/bowel making gurgling noises & he’d have to go out & do his jelly poos, I called them, then finally vet said looks like he has IBD, he can’t just eat anything, no more chicken necks there’s too much fat & just bone, he needs to be put on a stricted diet, so he was put on Vet prescription Royal Canin Hypoallergenic cause he also has skin problems being a Staffy but the fat was 19% in the R/C HP it was too high fat% then he got Pancreatitis, in the end he was put on Eukanuba Intestinal Low residue kibble, this stopped all the jelly poos stopped his gurlging bowel, I also cooked him boiled chicken breast mixed with a little pumkin, rice & a boiled egg, now Im giving him Wellness Simple Lamb & Oatmeal its a limited ingredient kibble & his poos are excellent better then when he was on the Royal Canin & Eukanuba Intestinal Vet diet, maybe look at the Wellness Complete Health range they have a large breed puppy formula & also give a cooked meal but keep everything the same, very simple once he gets use to the cooked or new kibble dont just change it or rotate it until you’ve worked out what he can eat & what he cant…once I had him just on the Eukanuba Intestinal & he was doing real good for 6moths, I started an elimation diet for breakfast only & his kibble for dinner & I found he couldnt eat Potatos or sweet potatos, he got a rash all over his chest & had diarrhea, if he ate a biscuit with wheat in it his paw would get real red & swollen.. unless thats what you do start an elimantion diet, you start with 1 protein normally boiled chicken & add rice then after 1 week & their poo is good add something else new to their diet for the next week, I saw an reaction within 2 hours of adding the potato, so the next morning I added the potato again to make sure it wasn’t from grass his rash & it was the potato, you can google elmination diets for dogs….
Have you tried a kibble where the protein% & fat% was lower then the Taste of the Wild & seen how he goes..
if you do cook make sure that he has the same meal for at least 4 weeks to settle everything as soon as Id change something in Patches diet he’d be pooing sloppy again, so I started watching what he was eating & writing it all down…can tin fish is good but not in oils, I use tuna in spring water & drain the spring water, I add a little boiled pumkin & a boiled egg you can also get salt free Salmon
another good site is yahoo group called “K9Kitchen” run be Monica Segal..also Lew Olson Book called “Raw & Nutrition for dogs” it has cooked recipes for dogs with health problems, that’s where I started with her book, its only cost $12 on Amazon she explains about using the egg shell after boiling the egg & drying the shell out & crushing the egg shell for their calcuim…..

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Haleybop –

You wouldn’t want to give both the Dr. Stephen Langer’s and the Soil Based Organisms at the same time – you’d want to do one or the other.

The addition of concentrace isn’t anything you need to be concerned about -imo. There’s such a small amount of it in each capsule that it shouldn’t pose any issue. If you want to read more about concentrace and what’s in it here’s a link to the actual product descriptor.

I prefer to use products with soil-based organisms versus regular probiotics as I’ve been reading quite a bit about the benefits of SBO’s. Another good product with soil-based organisms NOW Foods Probiotic Defense – it’s slightly more expensive than the Swanson Brand but still reasonable. It contains fermented grasses, 13 strains of beneficial bacteria, alfalfa, kelp and dulse.

In my opinion these products provide the best bang for the buck. There are definitely some better products out there, they’re just extremely expensive. Garden of Life’s Primal Defense is great and there’s a company called Prescript-Assist that makes a 29-strain SBO product but you’d be looking at spending upwards of 5 times as much.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Akari_32]

I was home most of the day yesterday for a change (which worked out great because my room mate worked later than usual), so I got to have a chill day with Bentley and the Kitty.

Some time after 6:30 or so, Bentley was napping on the couch, and twice within a half hour, he jumped up, startled, looking like someone had smacked him in his sleep or something, when no one had even touched him. He wouldn’t even jump down off the couch without some encouraging, and when he did, he looked like he had gotten in trouble, and would skulk to his bed with a pathetic look on his face.

Then about 8, I took him out to go potty, he took about two steps into the grass and just started screaming and biting at his back foot. I went over to him thinking it was a sand spur (he hates having things stuck in his paws), and picked him up. He wouldn’t even let me touch his foot to see what was wrong. He was crying so loudly the neighbor came out to see if he was ok! Dogs got some lungs!

So I brought him inside, forced him to sit still and let me look, and found nothing. His foot was all swilled and red, though, and it had a huge lump on top of it. It was hard, like bone. No idea what that was about. Of course this whole time, he’s crying and flipping out like I’m killing him or something.

So I let him go, and he hops all the way to his bed with his foot pulled up against his stomach, crying and making pathetic noises the whole way there. He’s starting to clam down some at this point, thankfully, and started to put some weight back on the leg after laying down for a couple minutes.

Of course, it’s 8:00 at night, the only option is the emergency vet if he doesn’t start getting any better. Lord knows I can’t afford that crap! So I called mom, told her what was going on. While I was on the phone with her, he put full weight on the leg and it popped loudly, and he started walking much better after at. Still limping, and hurting, but at least he could get round without screaming. Since he started doing better, we decided to just wait till the morning to take him to the vet I’m interning at (he specializes in orthopedics), and go from there.

After that, he spent most of the night in his bed, only coming out for some food, which he did keep a good deal of weight on his leg to eat, and then later came out when I started scooping out the other dogs dinners, which I gave him a few kibbles of lol The lump on his foot started to get smaller, and the swelling went down over night, as well.

I brought his cage into my room so I could hear him if he started crying again, and he slept through most of the night, only waking up to be upset that he was locked and the cat wasn’t. Got up early this morning, he was moving around much better, and didn’t seem to really be in any pain, but still limping a little. We got to the vet at 8:30, and hung out till 9 when the tech got there to help him, and after an exam, he diagnosed Bentley with a bulging disk and a grade one fluctuating patella, meaning it’s pretty mild, and there no reason for concern at the time. (At the vet, we just did a knee surgery on a little pom with a grade four, hopefully it never gets to that! That was interesting surgery, though). While we were waiting, I took him out to go potty, and he was hopping on the one leg at a trot. Still putting weight on it, but moving it faster than the “good” leg. And he usually squats to pee, but he lifted his ouchy leg up to pee. That was a pretty funny sight, actually. He was like somewhere between squatting and lifting his leg, as far as his over all stance was lol

He sent us home with some Previcox (anyone use this before?), and said to try to keep him from jumping the best we could. Being a terrier, we both know he’s going to do whatever the heck he wants to do lol I told mom to buy him some doggy steps for her bed, since it’s really high, especially for an 8 pound dog. I may also get some no-slip rugs for around the couches, as well, since the living room has tile.

Anyways, anyone with dogs that have either of these conditions? What do you guys do for them? Any tips on teaching this little brat to wait to be lifted up on to the couches or beds? I try to stop him, but if I’m not watching he does it himself lol The vet shops at the publix I work at, told I told him he was being a brat this morning after the visit and doing whatever he wanted when I wasn’t watching him. He laughed and said “he’s a terrier!” If anyone has any info or tips for me, throw them my way!

[Susan]

Hi Karen, I have this problem with Patch, burping after meals & bring food up into his mouth & last year he was vomiting undigested kibble 8 hours after eating it..I also thought it was Mega Esophagus & asked the vet… have you seen the poor dogs that do suffer from Mega Esopagus, how they have to sit in specially made chairs when they eat & some are just pups…poor things..
All the kibbles that I’ve tried so far, I found the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal to be excellent, its a meduim size kibble & it digests easily..Oatmeal & pumkin is excellent for tummy problems & easy to digest..
Holistic Select also made by Wellpet is another easy kibble to digest & easy on their tummys, the kibble is smaller but that is better if they swollow kibble whole, less to break down & digest being a smaller size kibble..
I do a kibble test, I get about 2 kibbles put in a glass of boiling water then I count to 40 then put 1 of the kibbles inbetween 2 teaspoons & push down, a good kibble will crush, a hard kibble will normally go flying out of the spoon & wont crush… kibbles with potato are harder, Ive found to be no good…
I also put his kibble in a bowl then I fill with cold water drain fill again & just soak for about 2-3 mins then drain water again, that way the kibble is just soft but still has its crunch & not all swollen & yuk to eat, I put the kibbles back into the cup & only add 1/4 into his bowl then another 1/4 of kibble that way he’s not gulping to much air..
With Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal he hasn’t bought up any kibble when he burps, but when he eats wet tin food it comes up into his mouth with the burp, any cooked foods that he eats comes into his mouth also…so Ive been putting his Tuna & pumkin on dry white bread toast, the toast seems to keep things down…
I think Patches stomach isn’t working properly & his food is just sitting in his stomach some days…How I know his stomach isnt working this morning Patch did his poo & the end of his poo was orange from pumkin & had grass that he ate 3 days ago, I know the last 2 days he has not eaten any grass or pumkin, so its taken 3 days to poo out his food, so I assumed things arent working properly, a lady on a different site recommended “Reglan” its a tablet that you give 1 hour before meals, this helps move the food along when the stomach isnt working properly, helps reflux, burping & nausea in dogs & humans…I’ll have to run it by Patches vet first but I might try him on the Motilium (you have Reglan in America we have Motilium) to see if this will help push his food thru instead of just sitting in his stomach & fermenting some days..
If you want to know if the food is passing thru properly, what I do is one morning for breakfast I will give Tuna & boiled pumkin on dry toast, the next morning I’ll just give wet tin kangaroo food for his breakfast, with the Tuna & Pumkin the poos are orange/brown, then try & work out how long its has taken for ur boy to digest & past that meal & then you’ll have more information to tell ur vet…
I hope this information will help your boy in some way…

[Cyndi]

So glad you got it figured out BRT, but you should switch foods anyway. Rotating foods is beneficial and maybe, since he started eating grass so much and then you switched foods and he stopped, maybe it would benefit him even more…. Just throwing that out there, but I’m sure you are just so happy he stopped eating grass.

[BRT]

I just wanted to post a quick update. Before switching foods again I thought I’d try adding pumpkin their kibble. It’s actually made a difference. I’m wondering if his poop was too firm and he was eating grass to soften it up(?). Just guessing here. But, I add a teaspoon of canned pumpkin to their kibble and he isn’t eating grass anymore. I’ll see how long this works. Thanks for all of the advice. If this bombs then off to Wellness Simple.

Oh, and I stopped the Pepcid.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by BRT.

[BRT]

Well, one month into the Zignature and my maltese boy is starting his obsessive grass eating again. (I started a thread in Canine Health). I thought he was doing so well. My vet suggested giving him 4mg Pepcid every morning; she said I could do this for the rest of his life. But, on my new thread I’ve learned that’s not a smart way to go either.

So, I’m back online looking at foods. Someone suggested that the fat content in Zignature might be too high. Now, I’m looking at Wellness Simple Salmon and Peas.

I want this cycle to end. I’m trying to do everything I can because I know the next thing is going to be the vet’s prescription diet, which I’m trying to avoid going that route.

[BRT]

So, the vet’s suggestion for now is to give him 4mg of Pepcid (famotidine) first thing in the morning to see if that helps. So far, so good. He didn’t eat grass at all this morning, but tried at lunchtime. I might also add a teaspoon of pumpkin to his food to see if that helps.

I continuously research food so I appreciate what you all are saying. Will definitely look into a lower fat food.

Thanks!

[Nancy C]

A couple of thoughts: My 10 yr old Golden R will eat about anything but not in a gobbling it up sort of way. HOWEVER, I have just lately been adding TO the bowl some sample packs of The Honest Kitchen flavors (which they sent for free in a box) and I have mixed that tog with Fromm’s Four Star Salmon, Dr Tim’s Kinesis GF, and Acana Grasslands, and she has LICKED every food molecule out of THE BOWL every time! Each pack has about 100 calories, so I reduced the calories in the dry kibble to make room for the HK food. THK food is wet such that it will coat all the kibble in a nice way if you stir it. also, I have added Coconut Oil to the food, putting little dollops on top of the food. Both my dogs LOVE coconut oil and it is SO GOOD for them. (The substitute mailman just commented yesterday how beautiful the Golden’s coat is — that it is noticeably thicker and prettier. I told him I’ve been giving her coconut oil. He said it has made a difference.) Dr Becker recommends 1 tsp per day for every 10 to 20 pounds of weight. It’s like CANDY to them and I think makes contents in the bowl more interesting and tasty. I sometimes snip large fish oil capsules and drop the drops on the kibble. Also just bought some very high quality Norwegian Salmon Oil. The woman at the pet boutique said several pumps of this on top of kibble really upgrades the flavor.

[Melissaandcrew]

Try feeding him a lower fat food. If I recall correctly, Zignature has high fat to meat ratio. No dog should be eating grass constantly, and in my experience its from an upset stomach.

[Susan]

Hi BRT, my Patch does this every time I start introducing him to a new kibble the first month he goes real well, now we are into our 2 month & he’s starting to eat grass again of a morning & before lunch..His poos are perfect nice & firm..He’s on a good dog probiotic, I think the new food either gives him stomach acid or makes him feel sick, but the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal has been the longest that he’s been without eating his grass on, when trying a new kibble, Im mixing in a little of his vet prescription diet again & he seems better again & stopped the grass eating, he mite eat grass once a week instead of everday when Ive mixed in the vet diet…..I found you need to pick kibbles like the vet diets lower in fat% around 10% fat & lower in protein% I stay around 21-24% for protein & things seem OK, but as soon as I increase the protein & fat % Patch becomes a cow with his grass eating again, also pick an easy to digest limited ingredient kibble, that way there’s not as much ingredients to cause this, I want Patch off his vet prescription diet but if he feels better & it stops his grass eating maybe he’ll have to stay on the vet presription diet Eukanuba & I just mix in his Wellness Simple as well…. I found another Wellness kibble, the Small Breed Complete Healthy weight the fat% max is 11% but the protein is 28% & it has L-Garnitine that suppose to help the body utilize fat.. so when the Simple is finished I’ll try a bag of the Wellness Small breed Healthy Weight & mix with Patch Vet diet & see if I can slowly take away the Eukanuba Intestinal…Good-Luck

[BRT]

I finally thought I had found the perfect food for my maltese/poodle boy. This has been a cycle for him that just seems to be getting worse the older he gets. He’ll do really well at the start of a food, but after a couple of months he starts obsessively eating grass. I leash walk him, so of course I try to keep him from doing it, but it’s at a point where we will walk by a patch of grass and he will crane his neck to get a bite. It’s getting very frustrating for me because I cannot figure out what’s going on.

I switched him to Zignature Trout and Salmon exactly one month ago. He was doing great on it. No grass eating at all. Even now when I feed him he just gobbles up the food and gets excited when he sees me get it out of the cabinet. Poop is formed and firm. He does poop quite a bit, about four times a day. Besides this grass eating he’s active and happy.

I’m not sure what to do here. I know if I take him to the vet she’s going to want to put him on a prescription food. I’ve been trying so hard to avoid that. But, I feel like I’ve tried everything I can.

Do you think it’s a matter of adding a probiotic to his diet? The only supplements he gets are his hypoallergenic glucosamine chew and an Omega 3 pill.

• This topic was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by BRT.

[Susan]

Hi Mar, does the Grain free kibble have potatos or sweet potato..& does the Authority have a money back guarantee, I would take back the food if this has happened & get the one she was eating before the rash, bold spots & dry skin, also grass can give them a rash on their tummys, if they lay on the grass, what are you bathing them in.. I use Malaseb medicated shampoo, it doesnt strip their skin of oils & kills any bacteria in the skin, its excellent.. I have to bath Patch every 5-7 days or as soon as I see him scratching..try to feed foods high in omega 3’s & 6 & get kibbles with a high omega-3 & 6…..no potatos, no sweet potato,no lentils or other high carb foods or high carb fruits as the carbs convert to sugar & yeast loves sugars..I love Pit Bulls they have a hard time in life, the most beautiful dogs & the Staffy..

[Ann P]

Please don’t wait until you have scientific “proof” to sounds the alarms about the health hazards of Canola oil! You won’t easily find them–especially in relation to dogs. Unfortunately, in the scientific community–to the chagrin of many ethical scientists, money rules! Mary Enig, Ph.D, is a leading authority on lipids and was one of the first scientists to raise serious concerns about the health effects of trans-fatty acids and she was academically black-balled for it. The the power of the vegetable oil lobby did her in–at least for a time. Dr. Enig is a co-author of a cookbook entitled, “Nourishing Traditions”. In a section about fats, this is what is written about Canola oil:
“Canola Oil contains 5 percent saturated fat, 57 percent oleic acid, 23 percent omega-6 and 10-15 percent omega 3. The newest oil on the market, canola oil was developed from the rape seed, a member of the mustard family. Rape see is considered unsuited to human consumption because it contains a long-chain fatty acid called erucic acid, which under some circumstances is associated with fibrotic heart lesions. Canola oil was bred to contain little if any erucic acid and has drawn the attention of nutritionists because of its high oleic-acid content. But there are some indications that canola oil presents dangers of its own. It has a high sulphur content and goes rancid easily. Baked goods made with canola oil develop mold very quickly. During the deodorizing process, the omega-3 fatty acids of processed canola oil are transformed into TRANS fatty acids, similar to those in margarine and possibly more dangerous. A recent study indicates that “heart healthy” canola oil actually creates a deficiency of vitamin E, a vitamin required for a healthy cardiovascular system. Other studies indicate that even low erucic-acid canola oil causes heart lesions particularly when the diet is also low in saturated fat.” Here are the three studies cited (I don’t know how to italicize here–so it’s not in proper form):

Sauer, FD, et al, Nutrition Research, 1997, 17:2:259-269

Kramer, J K G, et al, Lip1982, 17:372-382;

Trenholm, H L, et al, Canadian Institute Food Science Technology Journal, 1979, 12:189-193

Between my roommate and myself, there are four dogs in our household. We have been tight on money so took pains to find the least expensive dog food of reasonable quality and grain-free for our dogs. We were directed to a new dog food that had Canola oil listed as its fourth ingredient. Our two oldest dogs got extremely sick on it (with vomiting, diarrhea and extreme lethargy) and the younger ones started getting loose stools and eating a lot of grass. Yes, yes! I know, “correlation is not causation”! But I will no longer gamble my dogs’ health on Canola oil. I may just have to get a third job! Here is an article that also cites a few studies:

http://breathing.com/articles/canola-oil.htm

It is assumed that dried dog food can be stored at room temperature. Knowing how fragile canola oil is when it comes to rancidity, just imagine how rancid it is in these dried dog foods! Please revisit the canola oil debate and warn your readers!

[Barbara O]

I really think I’d feed what they love…as long as it’s a decent quality..my silly cats will eat Friskie’s canned cat food but turn their noses up if I give them TOTW…and they won’t eat the dry TOTW any longer..they love Halo…wonder what it is about the flavor they add, and I do feed fish….My cats are rescues and I have always rotated and given then fish…never been sick…The oldest one is about 17…I do feed eople salmon and people tuna…sorry…if it’s good enough for me, it’s good enough for them…All other meats brought into the house is organically raised, and/or grass fed…

This is the first time I’ve not Siameses running around…We lost ours to a weird disease that causes them to go blind…it’s genetic…I’ve had two Siamese to have it…one I had in Texas, the other one here in AZ.

As long as you’re feed good quality, feed what they like…Most dogs will eat the same food over and over…cats, on the other hand, will not…they want rotation. Having a hard time feeding the Canidae…and it’s a good food…so…I gave in yesterday and filled the Halo feeder…You’d have thought I’d given them candy…

[Barbara O]

I got several posts on the subject of Primal..I feed the Primal frozen…It is raw meat and veggies…with supplements added. It is manufactured in a facility that passes inspection for human food manufacture…The product is wonderful. I have a small spotted genet that eats it daily. I have mixed it in cat kibble and dog kibble…My friend has a dog that is very picky and it is a big dog…she mixes the duck with the kibble and the dog eats it like candy… I travel with it frozen. If you order it frozen…order as much as you can afford…that way the shipping will be cheaper. Check your local feed stores…those that carry dog and cat food…Also…check with any of your pet shops. I’ve found it in odd places when we travel. When they ship it, it is packed in dry ice…I order organic, grass fed beef for my husband and me and it is shipped from the midwest to hot Arizona in July…always comes completely frozen…ready for my freezer. By adding the Primal to the diet, you are assured of getting everything your animal needs…and you can add your own fruits and veggies to the food…I am assured the kibble, even if it is plant based, meets my Dane’s and genet’s needs…and they both are shiny and healthy. Have been raising and caring for animals longer than many of you have been alive…have a heavy background in animal nutrition in my undergraduate degree plus a few vet courses under my belt as well as human food chemistry courses…have tried to stay up with the research…Don’t believe everything your vet tells you…any vet that tells me how good Science Diet is, I run away from….Am fortunate I have a vet that has taken care of all my exotics and will call over the US getting answers to questions we might both have…have raised raccoon, ring tails, Fennec foxes…had some of the oldest in captivity…due to diligence in diet….both were spoiled pets….a animal fed a well balanced diet with added good oils and digestive enzymes, etc., is one who’s immune system is going to keep them healthy….Remember…corn, wheat and soy are not good for dogs…and raw bones to gnaw on are a blessing…cleans teeth and gives them B vitamins they need….They don’t have people stomachs…they have a straight tube so don’t give them too much variety at a time….They are a carnivore….not a cow…they have teeth for tearing…not for grinding…And….when the diet is high in protein and low in carbohydrate, the back yard is much easier to clean…

[Susan]

Hi Deborah, I just had a look & the first kibble Game/Millet was the best as the ingredients started with a protein the rest started with brown rice 51% then a protein… the Game/Millet had 3 proteins, thats no good if u dog has intolarences to a certain meat as u wont know what meat is causing the problem, you need a kibble with just 1 protein, like just duck or just Rabbit etc, also I couldnt find the Guaranteed Analysis (Fat % Protein% Fiber%) when trying a new kibble try & stay around the same Fat% protein% as the Hills at first & find a kibble that has Limited Ingredients so that way there’s less chances of having any reactions or diarrhea, also stay away from kibbles with potatos if he has itchy skin…3 weeks ago I started introducing Patch to “Wellness Simple” Duck & Oatmeal & he’s doing really well, better then when he was on the Vet Prescription diet, have a look at these ingredients & kibbles to the Simple range http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/categories.aspx?pet=dog&cat=3 Wellpet also makes “Holistic Select” Holistic Select has a few single protein kibbles the Duck or the Lamb & a grainfree “Turkey & Lentils” but it has more ingredients then the Wellness Simple, maybe when ur dog is doing well on a new kibble then try Holistic Select.. http://www.holisticselect.com/recipes.aspx?&#8230; the Anchovys Sardines & Salmon is excellent for itchy skin problems..but after 3 months try a different kibble then the Vet prescription diet kibbles, like u said the Z/D doesnt have any proper meats, that cause ur dog could be allergic to a certain meat & chances are he isn’t, it just could be that he was getting tooo many high Carbs ( Potatos, sweet potatos etc) that were causing itchy skin allergies, my boy cant have Potatos, Sweet potatos, Chicken, Flour, Ive learnt when I started an elimantion diet back in March..Elimination diets are the best way to find out what is causing the skin Allergies, I found Patch gets a rash from grass as well…

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Erin –

You aren’t going to see any dental benefit from feeding ground raw. If you’re interested in feeding raw meaty bones, the mechanical chewing action will aid in keeping the teeth cleaner to a certain degree. However, the only way to ensure optimal dental health is to actually brush your dogs teeth – this should be done at least three times a week.

Price will vary greatly and will depend on which protein source you feed, which cut you feed, quality (grass fed vs. conventional), purchase quantity and your location. I purchase items in bulk from a distributor that supplies grocery stores and restaurants and get things like chicken backs (~$0.30/lb.), turkey necks (~$0.60/lb), chicken hearts & gizzards ($0.80/lb), turkey hearts & gizzards ($0.90/lb.), pork hearts ($0.90/lb), beef hearts ($1.30/lb), etc. etc. All my items come in 15 to 50 lb. cases and I have to order a minimum of 300 lbs. at a time. Purchasing meat at the grocery store would be much more expensive.

If you wanted to work in a little raw for the dental benefits you would be safe feeding a a raw meaty bone a few times a week in addition to the kibble without throwing anything off balance (you’d just want to make sure to feed a little less kibble on those days to account for the calories in the raw meaty bone). Larger dogs do well with chicken leg quarters, chicken backs, turkey necks and pork necks. Smaller dogs do well with chicken wings and necks.

If you want to start feeding 50% raw you’ll need to be sure it’s balanced. I’d suggest checking out the book “Unlocking the Canine Ancestral Diet” by Steve Brown – it includes easy to prepare balanced recipes. You could also use a pre-mix – my favorite is See Spot Live Longer Dinner Mix (formulated by the author of the aforementioned book). I like it because it’s reasonably priced and doesn’t add in large amounts of fruits/veggies/etc. like some other mixes do so I have the freedom to customize it more to my preferences.

You may also find some useful information on the raw diet threads: /forums/forum/raw-dog-food-forum/

• This reply was modified 11 years, 4 months ago by Hound Dog Mom.

[Susan]

Hi Susan, My Patch had the stomach/bowel gurgling & rumbles, its actually gases going thru their bowels, vet said it was Colitis, He was also vomiting some early hours of the morning, yellow acid & was put on 1/3 of a Zantac or around 11am he’d vomit his breakfast which was kibble, so now I give him Tuna in spring water drained with Pumkin for breakfast now & he has stopped the vomiting & whinging of a morning, I was adding a boiled egg, but I think the egg yoke had too much fat as he’d started his whinging again & wanted me to rub his tummy around his right rib cage… Patch has to have a very low fat diet, I cant give him a kibble with the fat% over 11-12% fat…If he eats chicken of a night or tin foods he gets his rumbles early hours of the morning, so he gets his Eukanuba Intestinal low residue kibble mixed with Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal as Im slowley introducing him to the Wellness Simple kibble we are half way.. Has the vet put him on a low fat diet yet….also I found Patch cant have a high protein diet either has to be around 23% Protein or we are up early hours of the morning with his rumbles or eating grass to vomit…. Patch is also a stress head, starts to shake & vibrate if he hears firer works, thunder, neighbours yelling etc..In the end the vet said he has IBD & Pancreatitis & his Skin Allergies..

[Marlene N]

hello Kelsey I read your post and im starting to believe the same.
I have a Golden Retriever puppy too.
At 9 weeks old we were forced to change your food because the breeder was using a cheap brand called ” purina ol Roy”. (No nutritional value) We chose the blue life protection large breed brand. For the first 5 months everything seemed to be fine. Her coat was softer, her energy level and bowel movements better and she was anxious to eat her food. Then she started to be exposed to swimming in a lake, grabbing things off the street, eating grass , basically everything that comes with summertime. The diarrhea started. so we stopped her food and started her on the chicken and rice diet and then slowly gradually introduce her food to the chicken and rice and same thing the diarrhea came back full fledged.
For us -it has been going on for 2 months on and off, and we even tried to switch her over to the blue wilderness because we believed it was the grains causing it, but our second visit to the vet today, believes that the blue brand dog food is to rich in protein for dogs with senstive stomach’s. It makes sense. after a lot of research and discussions with veterinarians they believe that golden retrievers naturally have a sensitive stomach so diarrhea is something that will be regular, when it happens, our vet recommended imodium 1 tab every 12 hrs to stop the inital diarrhea runs and cramping along with the bland diet of chicken and rice. And to not feed them blue products.
So at the end of the day, we are guilty of trying to do the best thing for our pets by buying the best brand of dog food on the market with no grains, no by products, no soy or wheat and no chemicals when it would appear that this is what some dogs require.I would suggest any brands that for large breed sensitive stomach like natural choice nutrition. On another note, I saw 1 recall back in 2010 but it was for to much calcium.
right now our girl is on the chicken and rice with a slow introduction to new vet brand of dog food find that is a made by Hills, prescription I / d. we are keeping our fingers crossed that this works. Good luck!

[Zach M]

My dog was doing fine on blue buffalo. I did decide to switch though, because she started eating grass, and it wasnt the food.

[Harpers Mom]

Bobby Dog,
Thank you! And we use a mix of lemongrass, citronella, lavender and witch hazel, about 10-12 drops of each oil and 14oz of witch hazel mixed into a spray bottle. It was recommended to me by my Great Aunt and has worked wonders!

[Susan]

Hi Texas, Im in Australia & use Protexin dog probiotic powder but if I lived in America I’d try Karen Beckers probiotics, here’s a link to watch about dog Probiotics hers have 14 strains.
http://probiotics.mercola.com/probiotics-for-pets.html
I tried the Wellness Core, the Original but the kibble was to hard for Patch to digest & the fat % was too high 16%… I didnt know back then that Patch couldnt handle too much fat% or Protein, The Core reduced fat is high in fiber its 8.5% & has potatos, Ive found when a kibble has potatos its a very hard kibble, harder to digest, that’s why Im trying the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal, it has limited ingredients & has no potatos & when I put in water it softens straight away..I know it doesnt get many stars on this site but that’s cause its a low protein kibble but if it works & doesnt upset the dogs stomach I dont care about stars, I give Patch his Tuna & boiled pumkin for breakfast for extra protein.. I use to add a boiled egg but he started whinging again & eating grass, so I stopped the boiled egg…

[Susan]

Hi Texasnite owl, Im just wondering have you ever tried a lower fat % & lower Protein kibble….My Patch was eating grass everday, early hours & around 10am-11am after his breakfast… after 1 year I finally found that he needed a lower fat & lower protein diet, this has made things better now, I had to stop his boiled chicken breast with pumkin for breakfast as it gave him his pain & eating grass, so now I do tuna in spring water drained & mix the pumkin his pain has stopped, so the tuna must have less fat then the boiled chicken breast & 3-4 weeks ago I started him on the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal mixed with his other kibble his poos are better & his whinging has stopped, the Wellness Simple is a limited ingredient kibble & it breaks up easy, so easier to digest..I would look at changing his kibble to a lower protein & lower fat & see how things go & a good dog probiotic……some dogs just cant handle high fats & high protein foods especially when they start to get older…

[texasniteowl]

Well…time for an update…not a great one…

Since my last post, we continued with the Orijen Adult. By last Sunday, I had Wilson on all kibble, no chicken and rice. And we seemed to be doing well. Pretty good poo, etc. Now, let me clarify, no supplements of any kind at this point. No probiotics. Just kibble…Orijen Adult.

Let me also make sure I clarify that I had been feeding him on a 3x a day schedule, so 3 smaller meals.

Anyway, we seemed to be doing pretty good. Some variation in poo softness but overall good.

However, the last 2 nights (Saturday & Sunday) we have gone downhill a bit. Late at night, just before his last meal (aka midnight snack) he has gone outside to eat grass…which he had not been doing in about a month or so now. And his poo is destabilizing. The first stuff out will look OK and then becomes much softer. Not watery as far as I’ve seen, but very very soft. And he moves around quite a bit and ends up poo-ing in 3 to 4 spots.

Now, with his midnight snack tonight, I’ll add some pumpkin in. Is it time to try something like The Perfect Form? Next, I need to get some probiotics I guess. Any suggestions for ones that are available locally in stores? Or something that ships quick? Like I said above, my feed store sells Probios but I wondered about the sugar content. I do have some Kefir in the fridge…should I try to start him on that?

I guess the other question is, instead of adding supplements, do I give up on the Orijen and move him to something else?

And I suppose I could take a poo sample back to my vet and ask them to look at the bacteria again?

[Susan]

Hi Zach, Wellness Simple, is GMO free, No Gluten, corn, soy, dairy, eggs, wheat & No meat by-products or artificial preservatives,colours or flavours. My boy was vomiting after eating & early hours of the morning, since being on the Wellness Simple Duck & Oatmeal, touch wood, he hasnt been sick in 3-4weeks & he has stoppped eating grass, the kibble breaks up easy & softens within 40sec of adding water, so its easily digested & his poos are perfect…the Wellness Simple has 3 grainfree kibbles there’s Salmon & Potato, Turkey & Potato & Salmon & Peas formula all grainfree….here’s a link to look at the Fat% Protein% & ingredients its worth the extra money… http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/categories.aspx?pet=dog&cat=3

[USA]

Hi Cyndi

I’m sorry to hear that Bailey is having issues with her skin and coat.

When did you start using the Sentry Natural Defense topical? Could it be related to the scratching? Below are the ingredients for the Sentry topical. It is almost 15% phenols. Phenols can be very irritating to the skin. Personally I would not use it. The Mercola product is much gentler.

Peppermint Oil 3.00%
Cinnamon Oil 4.50% (phenol)
Lemongrass Oil 4.50%
Clove Oil 5.00% (phenol)
Thyme Oil 5.00% (phenol)
Other Ingredients – (Vanillin, Isopropyl Myristate) 78.00%

A low thyroid is NOT always accompanied by weight gain, lethargy or hair loss. Another possible symptom would be aggression. Maybe a little more touchy or in a bad mood etc.

Some blood tests include a basic thyroid level (T4). Call your Vet (the quack) and ask if a T4 was done and what the value was. It is also a good idea to request copies of all the blood tests that Bailey has done so you can spot any trends that a vet might overlook. YOU are the best advocate for your dog. Also try to get a copy of the blood test that Bailey had before the last one and check that T4 value. If a blood test shows a low or borderline low T4 or a downward trend then a complete thyroid panel should be done to confirm. The good news is thyroid medication is pretty safe and inexpensive.

What about treats? Have you added or changed any lately? Can you give us a breakdown on the treats Bailey gets please.

For a soothing, cooling and pH lowering skin rinse I would get a gallon of Aloe vera liquid and pour out 2 cups of liquid (16 oz) and replace with 8 oz of raw apple cider vinegar and 8 oz of witch hazel. This will help with any bacterial or fungal issues that either caused or were created by the scratching and it will also cool and soothe the skin.

Benadryl 1 mg per lb can help but antihistamines are always less effective in dogs because histamine is not as responsible for the symptoms as it is in humans. The antihistamine with the best track record in dogs is Tavist (clemastine).

Give Bailey a belly rub for me!!!

[DogFoodie]

I wonder if it’s a prickly heat-type of rash? Does she like to lay in the grass?

With the heat and humidity this year, I’ve developed the same thing and it itches like mad and I’m having a hard time getting rid of it.

I was just reading an article in Whole Dog Journal about holistic remedies for skin rashes (that person’s dog had a whole lot of other issues that Bailey doesn’t have) but, she safely used Gold Bond powder on her dog and said that it helped. I wonder about a rinse of diluted water vinegar after a bath or after laying in the grass.

[Cyndi]

Betsy, I was thinking environmental too. She does like to lay in the grass, but she’s always done that. & she really hasn’t done that too much this year because of how hot and humid it usually is. She mostly goes out, does her business and comes right back in. & it seems we’ve gotten more than our share of rain the past couple months as well.

I guess, since she has put on some weight (I thought it was just weight she gained over the winter) maybe I better get her thyroid checked. I don’t want to miss something major while I’ve driving myself crazy going over her food intake.

You could have used the Mercola’s spray by itself. I really think it works and I do like the smell of it. Now you and I both have a big bottle of that Bug Off Garlic going to waste, lol! Bailey refused to eat it, now I just use garlic capsules.

[Melissaandcrew]

Hi Jennifer-

I am going to agree with your vet on the cause-Pig ears are a huge no no for many breeds of dogs that are prone to pancreatitis, so definetly would be for one who had an attack. Very high fat content. What was the fat content of what you were feeding him before? You may have said and I missed it. Right after an attack, one does need to heavily restrict the fat etc in order to allow the pancreas to rest and reduce inflammation. Most vets will say restrict the fat content from this point forward to 10-12% MAXIMUM, not minimum. Good luck finding foods that report a guaranteed minimum, lol.

As an owner of mini schnauzers for 25 plus years, I have dealt with it more times than I wished to. Schnauzers are very prone to pancreatitis and severe attacks at that. I was a good sheep and followed the protocol. And what that got me was a bunch of schnauzers who were more fat sensitive than ever. I only had one that continued to have fat content issues, and we went with Blue Buffalo Wilderness Healthy weight for her, with some other brands mixed in for variety. The rest of the crew were transitioned SLOWLY to various brands, and types and they are “safe” up to about 16.5% total fat in a meal. If I wish to feed them say Acana grassland which is 17% fat, then I mix it with Lamb/Apple which is 15% fat. You get the idea.

These days, I feed a combination of dry,canned, dehydrated and homemade raw(they did well on Natures Variety Instinct raw as well-but like anything else watch the fat content) When I make raw, I use lean meats-skinless chicken, lean beef etc and so far, no issues. My point being while you have to be conscious of fat content, each dog has an upper threshold and it may take a bit of research to find yours. Just remember to do everything very slowly, and don’t go crazy and think Milo can have 17 or 18 percent fat because other dogs do. good luck-Melissa

[magnoliasouth]

Hello all! My daughter works for a vet and can get Royal Canin at an enormous discount. She has her dog on Satiety right now and I have to admit that she’s doing very well on it, despite the ingredients it lists. But that’s not my question. lol!

My dog has severe skin allergies. To be honest, food changes haven’t affected it in the least. I’m thinking she’s actually allergic to grass. Still, the vet wanted my dog to go on the RC Anallergenic food and until now, she had been eating Wellness Ocean Formula.

The problems are the ingredients listed in the Anallergenic food.

Corn starch, hydrolyzed poultry by-products aggregate, coconut oil, soybean oil, natural flavors, potassium phosphate, powdered cellulose, calcium carbonate, sodium silico aluminate, chicory, L-tyrosine, fructooligosaccharides, fish oil, L-lysine, choline chloride, taurine, L-tryptophan, vitamins [DL-alpha tocopherol (source of vitamin E), inositol, niacin, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), D-calcium pantothenate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin B6), riboflavin (vitamin B2), thiamine mononitrate (vitamin B1), vitamin A acetate, folic acid, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin D3 supplement], DL-methionine, marigold extract (Tagetes erecta L.), histidine, trace minerals (zinc proteinate, zinc oxide, ferrous sulfate, manganese proteinate, copper proteinate, copper sulfate, manganous oxide, calcium iodate, sodium selenite), rosemary extract, preserved with natural mixed tocopherols and citric acid.

How weird is it to have corn starch as the primary ingredient? What exactly is “hydrolyzed aggregate”? I thought corn and mystery “poultry” are allergens?

Now my daughter did ask about the hydrolyzation and was told that it has something to do with processing it to remove allergens. Not sure how true that is.

The thing is that I’m a human nurse. I know full well that just because a vet’s office sells a particular product, doesn’t mean it’s the best product. It’s all in what they get out of it. Sadly a lot of people don’t know this. I swear I think it should be illegal. It’s the same thing as lobbying, which I think also should be illegal. Decisions should be based on opinions, not money. Sorry, I accidentally launched into rant mode… and I digress.

I’ve asked my daughter to speak to the RC sales rep. In fact, this is specifically what I texted her:

Subject: Questions to as your RC sales rep. 1. Why do they use meat by-products? 2. Why aren’t meat products the primary ingredient in any of their foods? 3. Why is a corn product the primary ingredient in the Anallergenic food, when corn is a primary allergen? 4. What does “hydrolyzed poultry by-product aggregate” mean and define “poultry”? If “poultry” means chicken, why is that (also a primary allergen) in the Anallergenic food too? I have more, but we’ll stop there for now. Just tell her I’m not trying to grill, I’m trying to understand and give her a chance to explain it to me.

Perhaps someone here knows the answers already or can make suggestions or whatever.